A Time of Shadow
by G01den W01f 11
Summary: Hyrule has fallen. Ganondorf now reigns and is terrorizing the citizens of Hyrule in his quest for the Triforce. With Link missing, Zelda must do what she can to protect her world. Impa has no other choice: she must train her charge as a Sheikah, but will it be enough to stand against the dark power from the desert?
1. A Storm of Death

_Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The thoughts, opinions, etc. of the characters do not necessarily reflect those of the author._

_Cover art by LunarMew. Used with permission. Check out my profile for a link to her other amazing artwork._

* * *

**Chapter I: A Storm of Death**

The feast that was laid upon the great oak table of the king's private dining hall was among the best Hyrule had seen in years. The handful of foreign guests sat before a plethora of fine roasted meat that included samples of every creature from loach to dodongo, a rare treat that had only very recently become available. One of the chefs had even figured out how to prepare a peahat. The visiting Gerudo supplemented the savory delicacies with offerings of their own. There were bowls of dates, raisins, heaps of thick, flat bread topped with seeds, spicy paste made from beans in every color possible, and best of all strong wine from the depths of the Gerudo Fortress.

The small room was overflowing with merriment. The King of Hyrule, deep in his fourth glass of wine, was laughing at nearly everything. Two fair Gerudo danced before him. They had tied various bells to their arms with violet silk, and their graceful movements shook them in time to a traditional folk tune. These were no mere dancers, however. They were so much more than bronze-skinned beauties posing seductively for their future king. These were the Gerudo, warrior-maidens of the desert. As the storm outside raged, scimitars hissed through the air of the darkened, candle-lit room. They whirled about the dancers, brushing right up against their skin, but never drawing blood. The blades leaped through the air and fell back into the dancers' hands in perfect rhythm. The King of Hyrule clapped along gleefully, and even Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo allowed a grin to play over his face.

The only person who looked uncomfortable was the young Nabooru, Ganondorf's fierce lieutenant. She shifted in her seat constantly, eyes darting all over the room. She was still a girl, however, and it was her first time in the city, so all was forgiven on the festive evening.

"This will be a great day in history, my friend," the King of Hyrule boomed over the spirited flute tune. "The Gerudo shall live in peace with Hyrule at last."

"I look forward to the day that we may live peacefully _in_ Hyrule as well," Ganondorf replied, raising his glass to his lips.

"It is coming, it is coming." The King of Hyrule thumped his goblet down next to his plate of marinated cuccoo. "One day, my friend. I promise. For now, your maidens here will live as princesses in my castle, until my people can see these noble warriors are not so uncivilized as they believe."

Integrating the women into castle life had been a tricky business. All had heard the whispered rumors of what they had done, how they mated. On more than one occasion one of their number had woken up to find her bed covered in dung. They were served last, and their furnishings were poor. However, the Gerudo's tongues were gracious, and the King's lash was sharp. It was not long before most in the castle had developed at least a grudging respect for the women.

One of Ganondorf's retinue smiled up at the king, her blazing red hair falling elegantly behind her.

"My sisters and I are sure to continue to enjoy the hospitality of your castle, Your Majesty."

Princess Zelda saw no more. A firm hand clamped onto her shoulder.

"We leave. Now," a dark voice whispered. It was her attendant, her bodyguard, Impa. Zelda turned and looked up into her red eyes. Impa's eyes were always intense, but at that time they appeared to shine with the very soul of Din. Zelda held her ground.

"He is coming," she said. "This is when the light from the forest parts the clouds." Though her tone was soft, it was firm with the presence of conviction.

Before she knew what had happened, she was sprawled on the ground, pain blossoming from her cheek. Impa had _hit_ her. She tried to rub at her face, but the tall woman grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her to her feet.

"No time," Impa growled. Zelda struggled to keep her feet under her as they raced through the corridors of the castle.

"He's coming, he's coming. I have to get it to him." She was crying now, but she still had the presence of mind not to mention the Ocarina by name. No one could know. The Gerudo had infiltrated every level of the castle by now. Anyone could be working for them. She would not let a careless word doom them all.

If Impa noticed her restraint, she did not show it. She merely kept running, scooping the princess up with a disgusted grimace when it was apparent she could not keep up on her own.

Zelda wrapped her arms tight around the Sheikah's broad shoulders. She was clad in a steel breastplate as usual. Even before Zelda knew the truth, when the armor had just been a ceremonial artifact, she had found comfort in it. The armor meant that Impa would protect her and keep her safe no matter what. The guards wore armor too, but it wasn't the same. She did not know them. She could not trust them as much as she trusted Impa.

Once again she found herself taking comfort in the armor. Here was a woman who could stand against the desert thieves. Zelda had only once seen her use her sword. She was putting an overconfident guard back in his place. Zelda was awestruck by the absolute ferocity that had come from her normally soft-spoken nanny. Impa was the best, and she would protect her.

Sounds of battle assaulted them as they fled. Zelda could hear the battle cries of the Gerudo, screaming Knights of Hyrule, the dreadful sound of metal smashing into metal. It was as if the entire castle had erupted into war moments after they had fled the garden.

She could only imagine what had happened to her father. The blade dancers could have easily had his head before the guards could react. She had known Ganondorf would turn traitor, but her father had laughed off her warnings.

"The Gerudo are no less people than you or I," he had explained to her in his slow, patient tone. "They are a proud people who have suffered in the harsh desert for countless generations. I am honored that they have chosen to join Hyrule, and I welcome them with open arms."

So much for that. Now the king lay dead, and the 'proud people' were massacring her subjects.

The Sheikah halted mid-stride. Startled, Zelda looked up to see two Gerudo warriors standing before them. Instead of the lavish gowns that they had been wearing about the castle the past month they stood half-naked, saying nothing. Their drawn scimitars were the only statement they needed.

Impa dropped the princess to the floor, but before she could raise the metal blade she kept at the small of her back, Malkir rounded the corner behind them, spear in hand. He was the head of Zelda's personal guard, and she had spent many an hour getting to know him as she read in her courtyard.

"Run," he barked over his heavy breath. Malkir's kind face was set in a fierce scowl. His missing pauldron and blood-spattered armor suggested what had happened to the rest of her guard. The man would show no quarter. Impa grabbed the princess and flew back the way they had come. The Gerudo started to pursue, but over Impa's shoulder Zelda saw Malkir charge forward to hold them off. The ground was red with blood by the time they rounded the corner, but Zelda could not tell whose it was.

Finally they came to the stables. Within seconds, Impa had the princess mounted on her white stallion. It had already been saddled, and the stableboy held the reigns. Impa mounted behind the princess and kicked it off at a fierce gallop.

Zelda trembled as they emerged into the storm, but it was not from the sheets of freezing rain or from the tumultuous thunder. She could feel him, the evil man from the desert. He was in the wind and the clouds and the flames that rose above Hyrule Castle, and he was hunting for her.

Townsmen scattered as the horse careened through the narrow streets, but Zelda could barely hear their outbursts.

_I am coming, little girl. Hyrule and its fortunes are mine. Soon I will have you, and more, the Triforce._

She could hear his coarse voice echoing through her mind. She clung to the horse as tightly as she could. She had to get away, out of his city. Every gust of wind was a draft of his dark breath. Every thunderclap was the sound of his fierce horse, drawing nearer and nearer. He was right behind them, gaining with every second. He would have them. He would get the Triforce...

And then they were out of the gates. Link was standing there. She only caught a glimpse of the young boy. He stood tall and strong despite the pouring rain. With a deft sidestep, he only barely made it out of the path of the horse. She did not know what twist of fate brought him to that spot at that time. It did not matter. He was their last hope. In an act of desperation she hurled her keepsake, the Ocarina of Time, at the boy, the fountain of light who would oppose the darkness. Then he fell out of sight, and Zelda could only pray that he had received it.

The danger did not seem as pressing now that they were in the open field. Maybe it was because she knew that no Gerudo could ambush them. Maybe the sight of her hero had jarred her to her senses. In any case, the King of the Gerudo—the King of Thieves—did not have them. He probably had not even left the castle yet.

Zelda hugged Impa's muscled arm and whispered ardent prayers to the Goddess of Wisdom. She knew not where they were headed or what had happened to her father. Through the terror and the chaos, she could be certain of only one thing: her nightmares had come true at last.

* * *

They rode the entire night. There was neither sleep nor food for the young princess. There was only the rhythmic jostling of Owlan, their proud horse, straining for more and more speed.

It was not Impa who called the halt, but Owlan himself. The early dawn light illuminated the vast forest before him, and the horse stopped directly in front of it. He reared up, shaking his head and whinnying. Zelda didn't blame him. She had heard tales of the Lost Woods and the monsters it housed. She could see shadows moving within, flickering eerily in the dark grove before her.

"Impa, he's scared. Don't make him go in there," Zelda pleaded, patting the horse's neck. She knew how absolutely stupid it sounded. Ganondorf wanted them, he wanted her ocarina, and she didn't have time to be worried about the horse. But what Impa was doing was cruel.

To Zelda's surprise, the Sheikah slid from the saddle.

"He is wise," she murmured. "These woods are no place for a horse."

"So, we're just leaving him?"

Impa crouched down to look the princess in the eye.

"You tell me, princess. Are we?" The older woman gazed unblinking at Zelda, who shifted despite all of Impa's frequent admonishments about purpose and self-presence.

"Um... if we can't take him with us..."

"Tell me, what is the extent of Ganondorf's sorcery?"

"He... he can make fire," she stammered. She had no idea what Impa was getting at. The Sheikah always used these roundabout questions to come to her point, and it was getting annoying. Zelda was tired and hungry and did not want to play her games.

"Is that all?" Impa showed no sign of wavering, no hint that there was anything else beside her question that mattered.

"I don't know," Zelda blurted out.

"You're right." Impa nodded in approval. "You don't. _I_ don't know." Zelda felt a hand press lightly on her shoulder. "So given that we have absolutely no idea what he's capable of, are we going to let this horse run free?"

"You mean..." She couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was just too horrible to contemplate. She could not deny where Impa was headed though. The lore that the Sacred Family was privy to was filled with tales of magic-users with unbelievable powers of perception. To one such as a servant of the demon-lords of old, to find there horse that they had ridden for hours would be as good as finding them.

"The choice is yours, princess." Impa rose and moved to the edge of the forest. Her sword lay on the ground where she had crouched. "Choose quickly."


	2. An Unexpected Gift

_A/N: 'Hylian' refers to a specific race of people. 'Hyrulian' refers to "all peoples that live in the land of Hyrule, who may be of any race." (Source: Zelda wiki. Entry: Hyrulean)_

**Chapter II: An Unexpected Gift**

The sun was at its peak when Zelda finally woke. Her arms were still caked in the horse's blood. She had made herself stay and watch as he bled out, painting the grass below a sickly dark red. Because she had been the one to take its life, she would see it through to the end, no matter how much it hurt.

Impa had emerged from the trees only at the end, resting an arm around her shoulders as the last bit of blood spurted from the beast's neck. They stood in mutual silence, surveying the scene before them. It was only for a moment however, and then it was back to work. Together, they cut up the carcass and stored what meat they could in two leather knapsacks. Zelda noticed that they had contained almost no other provisions. By the time the girl was finally able to collapse and leave the dismal world behind, the sky was almost light enough to read by.

Impa did not give her much time to reflect on the events of the previous evening when she shook the princess awake. A bite of meat, a sip of water, and they were off, deeper into the forest.

"With Hyrule Castle taken, the realms of the Goron and the Zora lay wide open to Ganondorf's will," Impa explained. "The forest is the only place that might offer any protection. It is a treacherous place, but useful for those who can see its secrets."

Zelda did not feel protected. Every tree was a hiding spot for a servant of Ganondorf. Every sound was the rustle of a patient hunter. Worst of all was that it all looked the same. Every direction she looked was not just similar but identical in every aspect. Every tree, every clump of bushes, was the same as the previous one. The thick canopy concealed all but the trace vestiges of light, so that Zelda could not even tell the east from the west. Somehow, Impa continued forward with no hesitation.

"I look with the eyes of truth, child," Impa said softly when Zelda asked about it. Impa had mentioned her eyes before, but she had never been willing to go into detail. Whenever she had impossibly caught the princess pilfering from the kitchens or sneaking out of the castle, it was always because she saw with the Eyes of Truth. Zelda had begun to think it merely a joke, a not-explanation to keep Zelda from gaining an advantage in her mischief. Now, it seemed that she did indeed see more clearly than ought to be possible.

The pain started around evening. They had just finished a hasty dinner in a small clearing that Impa had managed to find. Zelda would almost had called it unique, but she suspected that there must also exist several identical clearings elsewhere in the tangled forest. She was putting her pack back on when she felt a sting working its way through her right hand. She tried to ignore it at first. Zelda knew that Impa was becoming frustrated with her weakness. Impa had never said anything, but she could see it in the slight twitch of her lips when Zelda asked for food, her restless gait, her tight jaw. Impa needed her to be strong, so she grit her teeth and tried to push through the pain.

It hurt so much though. The pinprick radiated outward until the entire back of her hand was consumed by the sensation. She clamped her teeth shut to keep from crying out.

"What's wrong?" Impa said, instantly at her side. Zelda shook her head back and forth, unwilling to open her mouth. It was nothing. She was fine. Impa caught her by the crown of her head, forcing her to look at the woman.

"What's wrong?" she repeated, more forcefully this time.

"My hand," Zelda whimpered. By that time it was jittering up and down. The princess tried to restrain it, but the hand seemed to be moving of its own volition.

Impa swore. Her eyes were distant, off in that far-distant place they had retreated to whenever Zelda spoke of dreams. The Sheikah wrapped her arms about the princess and rocked her. Zelda grabbed her arm with her left hand. To even think about her right was unbearable.

"It would seem that the goddesses are not yet done with you," Impa whispered. Zelda didn't care. She just wanted the pain to stop.

She tried to say she was sorry. She was sorry for not being strong enough to stop Ganondorf. She was sorry for slowing Impa down while they were fleeing the castle. She was sorry for everything, but she couldn't tell Impa that. Whenever she opened her mouth a howl emerged. Impa just stroked her hair and told her everything would be all right, just like she had done when Zelda was a little girl.

* * *

She didn't know when the pain had given way to blissful unconsciousness. The last thing she definitely remembered was a desperate attempt to bite off her inflamed hand. There was now only a dull soreness. Looking back, it was almost ridiculous that she had been willing to lose her entire hand just because it had hurt for a bit.

However, the most striking part of her experience was what had happened while unconscious. Her head had filled with visions of the sort she had not seen since that fateful storm had heralded Ganondorf's arrival. A cacophony of images swirled about her against the endless backdrop of space. She saw the whole of the Lost Woods laid out before her. In that instant, she fully knew its pattern. Each tree, each little stone, was unique. They each had a life-pattern of their own, weaving together in a subtle tapestry that made of the whole forest. The heart had a different fabric than the border, which in turn was different from the strange sources of magic she sensed within.

She saw the history of the Hylians, stepping out of the sky to build a new world for themselves on the vast surface. All over, the races of Hyrule joined to aid the new residents. The long-forgotten Picori emerged from their tiny homes and instructed the Hylians in the ways of magic. The Gorons taught them to build structures far stronger than their original homes. Not all were friendly, however. There were also countless wars fought over the sky-people. Terrible powers all after the Triforce, held off by a lone boy in green from the forest. As Hyrule carved out its bloody history, that one beacon of light kept returning. His face varied over the years, but always she could tell that the hero was the same boy who had snuck into her courtyard so many months ago.

Finally, when Hyrule at last fell, and her legends were lost to time, and the very lands on which she rested were consumed by a vast fiery orb, the Goddess of Wisdom herself descended from the heavens. She was not the fair blue-haired maiden who was known to occasionally come to bless mortals with a smile and a song. Zelda beheld her in her full glory. 'Big' was not enough to describe her. Her golden body expanded until it filled all of space, and Zelda was but a grain of dust hovering before her eye. Blue light flared from her pristine skin, tinging the entire universe with its ethereal presence. It was the color of the sky, Zelda realized. A remnant of the goddess had always been there with Hyrule, watching over her beloved creation.

She had not yet reached her full potential. She was holding back, that the princess might comprehend her. Despite Nayru's impossible size, Zelda was still aware of every bit of her. She knew of all the folds of what passed as skin, every perfectly formed limb protruding form her body, and more. She sensed within her joy and fear and bitter desolation. It was different from what she felt, but it was there nonetheless, and it was clear that Zelda was before a presence that was distinctively Hyrulian. Or more accurately, it was she and all her people who were akin to the goddesses. For all their glory, for all their splendour, all their Power, Wisdom, and Courage, they and their creatures shared the same heart.

Zelda wept before her goddess. Then Nayru did something truly surprising.

She kissed her.

It was a soft tingle upon her brow that spread down until her entire body quivered in ecstasy. She was surrounded in a chorus of divine music that pierced through the sorrow of the past and lifted her into a realm of hope. Zelda was lost in the song, carried away in its timeless melody. However, all things must end, and soon the vision began to give way to the dull greens of the forest.

"Take my gift, my child," was the last thing she heard before the universe collapsed to a point, and Zelda found herself resting against a tree.

"I just had the most beautiful dream," she murmured, but Impa pulled her from her reverie.

"Your hand, Zelda. Look at your hand."

A single golden triangle shone clearly on the surface of her pale skin. She blinked in surprise. She had heard tales of the mystic power, but she had never dreamed that a part of it might be hers.

The implications hit her shortly thereafter.

"He failed." Link could not protect the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf had defiled it with his magic. She had put all her hope in him, and the King of the Gerudo had cut him down like the boy he was.

_Rest well, Hero of Hyrule._

She had led him to his death. She had brought him into her battle with Ganondorf, and he had paid with his life. She felt her heart tightening. It wasn't fair. She could picture him lying there, in the Temple of Time. She could see his small hands, clumsily wrapped around the Master Sword, a futile defense against one so powerful. He lay there, abandoned, as Ganondorf stepped into the Temple of Light and claimed the sacred relic for his own.

"There will be time for mourning when Ganondorf is dead." Impa's voice cut into her thoughts. "Think, Zelda," she continued before Zelda could snap back. "Ganondorf touched the Triforce and now possesses at least a third of it. The Triforce is linked to itself. As soon as he learns to use it, he will find you. Wherever you are, he will find your piece."

"Must we fight him, then?" Zelda asked as she rubbed at her hand. Even with the blessing of Nayru, she felt unfit to face his wrath.

"We dare not. Not as we are." Impa had slung her pack, so Zelda climbed grudgingly to her feet. "There are places that weave magics which can hide even the power of the goddesses – for a time. We were fleeing to such a place anyway, but now haste is even more urgent."

Zelda struggled to keep up with Impa's renewed vigor. The straps of her weighted pack dug into her shoulders, and her feet were already raw from the past day's travel, but she stayed at the woman's side. She had to jog at times to keep up, but she did not fall behind.

"Which piece do you have?"

"Wisdom," Zelda responded with no hesitation. Even without the vision of Nayru, she somehow knew, just as surely as she knew her arms belonged to her.

"Ganondorf likely has Power then," Impa muttered. "But who then for Courage?"

"He has both." Her pronouncement made Impa stop short. Zelda was equally surprised. The thought had come to her all on its own, almost fully formed.

"Explain." She narrowed her eyes at the young princess.

"He is vain." She closed her eyes as she attempted to trace out the chain of logic that had presented itself. "He would not kill Link before making him see his failure was complete. He splits the Triforce and gets Power. He then draws Courage from Link's body." It made too much sense to be wrong. Zelda focused on the strain on her lower back to keep her mind from fear.

"Yes, the child would likely have received the other third." Impa said after a pause. She resumed walking, and Zelda trotted beside her. Her calves had started to regain feeling while they were standing still, and once more she found them aching. "Until we learn better, we should assume the worst."

As they continued walking, Zelda realized that she was once more hopelessly lost. The clarity of her vision had faded until the trees were merely trees again. She even found herself forgetting the scenes of Hyrule's history. There was one part she dearly wished she could remember, but she could not even tell what it was about anymore. Her stomach fell as she realized the magnitude of her loss.

Nayru was still with her, however. She was the one part of the vision she knew she would always have. Zelda could almost see the goddess standing before her when she closed her eyes. She put the thought from her head. Ganondorf was hunting them. She had to stay focused. She had to stay strong.

It had been so easy to oppose him, back in the castle. Surrounded by high stone walls and a loyal contingent of guards, she had felt free to plot with no regard for the consequences. He would not have been able to strike back. Now she was trapped in a strange forest. Sweaty, bloody, and completely exhausted, she did not feel like the a strong princess who could stand up to the man from the desert. Whatever schemes she may come up with, whatever slight advantage she might hope to gain, all her efforts were laughable against his terrible ferocity. She had thought to protect the Triforce from him, but he had bathed himself in her people's blood and took it anyway.

Her only remaining hope was that Wisdom, at least, was hers. The tiny triangle glowed softly on her hand, pushing back at least the immediate darkness. Nayru was with her. Impa stood ready by her side. Together, they would survive. Somehow, they would make it through Ganondorf's reign.


	3. The Stronghold

**Chapter III: The Stronghold**

Halfway through the third day of travel, Zelda finally saw her destination. The pair of travelers broke into a meadow across which they could see a large stone structure. It rivaled the size of Hyrule Castle, but the stone was darker and covered in moss.

"Behold the Forest Temple," Impa told her. "Once a mighty stronghold, it finally fell during the Hyrulean Civil War. It has become a focus of various energies. It is, perhaps, the least dangerous place in Hyrule at the moment."

_My father would have liked this,_ Zelda thought. He had been an avid scholar of Hylian history whenever his royal duties allowed him a break. The sight of the grand structure, so old that it had begun to crumble, would surely have brought a rare grin to his weathered face.

They crossed the meadow in silence. Unlike the dismal forest, the bright sun filled the large clearing. The bright green grass was covered in dandelions, and here and there Zelda spotted a wildflower. In short, it was peaceful, and Zelda was loathe to disturb it.

At the end of the meadow, directly in front of the temple, there was a large, hexagonal pedestal. Inscribed in it was the Triforce. An intricate circle containing a swirl of leaves rested within the center of the relic. The surface, apart from the carvings, was perfectly smooth and untouched by the elements. Light reflected off it almost as if it had been a mirror.

She turned her attention to the temple's entrance. The grand staircase that had once descended from the only visible door to the grassy floor was broken off a stone's throw above Zelda's head. She stared up at it, struggling to figure out another way in.

"Well, I could throw you," Impa suggested. Zelda's stomach flipped as she stared up at the fearsome height. Even if Impa could throw her that far, could she land uninjured? What if she missed? Just as panic began to claw at her, she noticed the smile on Impa's face.

Before Zelda could complain at the poor joke, Impa sprung into the air. She was so fast that Zelda almost got disoriented just from watching. The Sheikah landed landed at the top of the broken staircase and gazed down at the princess.

"Your turn."

Zelda gaped at her. She couldn't be serious.

"Hurry!" Impa prompted.

"I can't jump that high," Zelda exclaimed.

Impa bent slightly at her shoulders to look down at her. Zelda could see the smirk clearly on her face.

"Oh? I guess you're just stuck down there forever then. How sad."

Zelda scowled at the tease. Fine then, she'd find her own way up. The first step, of course, was to review what she had to work with. Her pack was mostly empty by that point. The horse meat had long since gone bad. Other than several canteens of water, it contained several edible roots that Impa had taught her to find as well as a handful of rupees, several strips of white fabric, a thin blanket, and a pair of odd brown seeds about the size of her fist.

Disappointed by the pack, she set it down and looked around her. A large tree sprouted from the ground, and one of its thick branches hung over the roof of the temple. If she could climb the tree, it would be a simple matter to get to the roof, and from there drop down to the front door.

She wrapped her arms around the rough trunk and tried to pull herself up. The bark scraped against her bare arms, and the tattered dress she still wore made getting a foothold difficult. She persisted despite the discomfort, pulling herself up inch by inch.

Then her foot slipped. Zelda gasped. Her legs scrambled to find purchase, but they just slid over the trunk. She could feel herself falling. Her hands jerked from the tree, tearing bits off bark as they left.

Zelda cried out when she hit the ground. It had hurt, but apart from a small ache in her back, she was okay. From the ground, it was clear that she had only fallen a couple feet, not nearly as much as she had first thought. She climbed back to her feet and stared at the tree, refusing to give up.

She made it to the top on her second attempt. Her brown pack looked so tiny below her. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't nearly as high as the battlements of Hyrule Castle. She had played on them all the time without fear, but those had been stable. The tangle of branches she was perched on was most certainly not.

Doing her best to focus ahead of her, Zelda climbed along the thick branch that led to the entrance. There was no room for error anymore. If she slipped, the best outcome would be serious injury. She had visited the infirmary several times as a child, forced to assist the healers by Impa. She could still see the forlorn look of one of the patients, sobbing because he would not be able to walk again. She would not lose that freedom of movement. Not to a stupid tree.

She could see Impa watching her as she pulled herself closer, hand over hand. She appeared to be wholly unconcerned with Zelda's plight, leaning against the doorway as she idly played with her elbow. Fine then. Zelda sped up. She'd make Impa pay attention.

Still no reaction. Zelda kept crawling, faster and faster, until finally she dropped lightly onto the protruding ledge.

"I made it!" she exclaimed.

Impa slowly looked at her, then down at the ground below them.

"You've forgotten something."

"You can't be serious!"

"Never leave your equipment behind," Impa said, gesturing down at the pack on the ground.

"But I'll never be able to make it up here with that on my back."

"Weren't you just telling me you couldn't make it up here at all?" Impa crossed her arms.

Zelda sighed. Who knew Impa could be so annoying?

* * *

It was an exhausted and bedraggled Zelda that finally thumped down onto the old stone ledge nearly an hour later. She dropped the pack to the ground as Impa helped her to her feet.

"You've been doing very well, Zelda," she said. "I'm proud of you." Her face lit up with a rare smile. Though her lips stayed tight together and barely turned up at all, Zelda could see it in the crinkles of her eyes.

"I had to perform many such trials as a young woman. You were every bit as strong as I could have hoped."

Zelda did not know what to say. She certainly did not feel strong. All she had done was run for her life through a dark forest and climb a tree. It was probably something that Link did for fun when he wasn't running all across Hyrule.

Thinking about Link, or anyone else who had fallen, brought back the crushing reality of her failure. She could see the faces of her parents and her personal guard hovering in the dark forest. She could see Ganondorf's dark fire, spewing forth from Hyrule with its indiscriminate malice, consuming all she held dear.

She felt Impa gently take her arm and steer her toward the door.

"Come Zelda. You deserve a rest. We will be safe here."

The temple's interior was a stunning artifact from the Age of Prosperity, when magical ability flowed in the Hylians as surely as blood. Two pillars beside the opposite door supported a great arch. It was simple in design, but its solid construction and sturdiness even as the walls had deteriorated from the cruel flow of time were sign enough of the great craftsmanship that had gone into it. Never since had the races of Hyrule worked so well together, a fact that clearly manifested itself in the relative simplicity of the new Hyrule Castle.

Zelda stood not within a temple, but an extension of the forest itself. There was no ceiling to ward off the elements. Instead, the blessings of the goddesses were soaked up by the massive trees that grew even within the temple. The sunlight illuminated intricate designs on the bark that she had never seen in a tree before. Whose stronghold was this, that when faced with death still took time for natural beauty? What defenders of Hyrule had spilled their blood here in their final defense?

Though overwhelmed with questions of history, she followed Impa as she strode through a doorway and the narrow corridor beyond.

"Impa!" a thin voice exclaimed the moment they emerged into the large chamber at the end of the corridor. The speaker, a slender woman in flowing blue robes, scarcely taller than Zelda, hurried up to greet them. "How lovely to see you again."

"It's been a long time, Beth," Impa replied, grasping the other woman's hand. Three more were close behind. Though there were individual differences – the one in green had a slightly longer nose than usual, and the purple one was slightly taller – they all appeared very similar. Green eyes, pale skin, long auburn hair plaited with flowers, and a robe for each all told Zelda that they were sisters, and close ones at that.

Zelda hung back by the door as Impa caught up with her old friends. She was in one of her rare cheerful moods. Zelda was surprised she had such friends outside the castle. She had lived among the Royal Family for as long as Zelda could remember. Zelda supposed that she must have lived elsewhere sometime. It wasn't like there were any other Sheikah living in the castle. Zelda had often asked what had happened to the others, but Impa always just shook her head and said she'd tell her when she was olderl.

Then the purple one – Meg, she thought Impa had called her – glided up to her and placed a cold finger under her chin, lifting Zelda's head up to meet her eyes.

"And this is the Princess of Destiny,," she said. Her voice was hard, almost a hiss. Even though she and the woman were almost of the same height, Zelda felt suddenly very small. The woman's eyes bored through her peering into her very soul, but Zelda stared back defiantly. She had had enough of fear in the past three days.

"Much has been said about you, child, and not all good," the woman intoned. Before Zelda could reply, she was pulled away by one of her sisters, the orange one.

"She has been through enough, Meg," she said.

Meg appeared not to heed her sister sister, continuing to stare into the princess's eyes, as if searching for a gold ring that had dropped in a well. Then, with no warning, she turned on her heel and strode from the room.

"You'll have to forgive Meg, said the green one. "She was never too fond of visitors. But I'm afraid she'll have to learn to deal with them now, poor thing."

From there, the sisters took their two guests on a quick tour of the temple. Meg rejoined them shortly after it started, but she hung in the back, not speaking.

There were courtyards with pristine flowing water and lush green grass that came all the way to Zelda's knees. There were stairwells, smaller and more compact than those of her castle, but just as ornamented, and filled with artwork of a style not taught by her tutors. Most impressive of all, however, were the twisting passages that made up the upper levels. Zelda could have sworn that she ended up walking on the wall of a corridor at one point, though the pull of gravity remained straight down. Before her eyes, she saw the power of the witches shift and unshift the rooms in dimensions that they simply did not have space to move in.

"This temple has become a part of the forest as well, and like the forest has a sentience all of its own," Joelle, the one with orange robes explained. It was the first time she had spoken on the tour. It had mostly been led by Beth in the blue robes and Amy in the green, bantering merrily with each other.

That didn't explain anything though. No matter how 'sentient' the building might be, it could not simply violate Nayru's laws of space. There was no room for the temple to twist, and that was that.

(And yet for all her arguments, she found the corridors twisting about just the same.)

"Where do you worship?" she forced herself to ask as they were returning to the main chamber. They had seen battlements, corpses of Hylian Knights, and intricate magic, but nothing at all to indicate that the building was a temple.

She immediately wished to rescind the question. The sisters froze in their place, shoulders stifferning A tense silence dragged on in which Zelda could feel only the beating of her heart. It was racing. What had she said? What was wrong with asking about worship? She feared that they might have already overstayed their welcome with the witch sisters.

"The way is shut," was Joelle's simple answer after what felt like an eternity, and then they continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Zelda spent the rest of the day wandering through the courtyard while Impa caught up with her old friends. It was quite different from the one in Hyrule. That had been well-ordered, with flowers of carefully-chosen varieties planted at regular intervals. As she had walked through the gardens and the fountains, she had been comforted with a sense of perfect stability.

Here things were, if not quite wild, disorganized. Plants grew where they would, ivy hugged the walls, and the grass was wild and unkempt. There were also bugs, crawling all over the ground and hiding in the grass. One week ago their presence would have kept her inside. After the wildlife of the forest, however, they seemed rather benign.

Zelda found a soft patch of ground on a parcel of land separated from the rest by a river that somehow flowed within the temple. She had no idea where it led. There had not been any indication of a river from the temple exterior. Perhaps she would find out one day in the future. Regardless, she laid down her pack as a pillow, removed the blanket from within, and prepared to sleep. The sisters had no spare beds ("We hardly expect visitors out here in the Lost Woods, after all," Beth had said), so she was forced to sleep wherever she could find comfort. She would grow used to it in time she supposed. She had already gotten used to quite enough.

Zelda closed her eyes and did her best to make herself comfortable. It was a warm night, with a gentle breeze to soothe her. She might have to move inside when the seasons turned, but for now the courtyard was quite pleasant.

Moments later, she opened her eyes to see Meg kneeling before her, gazing down at her unblinking. She quickly sat up, but the woman reached out a calming hand.

"Rest, princess," she said in her rough voice. "You will need it."

Zelda hesitated. What did she want with her? Where was Impa? Her heart started to race, but she did as the woman commanded and settled back into her makeshift bed.

"You had asked of our place of worship," Meg continued. She knelt beside Zelda, the purple fabric of her dress splayed over the ground. Her face turned down and her brow furled as she spoke.

"This place is a fortress. It was made for war and for blood. Gorons and Zoras threw themselves against these stone walls in their quest for the Golden Power and thus died."

Zelda stared up at her, transfixed by the tale. Meg had plucked a single blue flower from the ground and was twirling it between her fingers. All her attention was focused on it, and she hardly seemed to notice the girl lying there at all.

"The Knights of Hyrule never saw what it was they defended. They never saw the entrance to the Sacred Realm, reported to reside here. Only we held the key, and we locked ourselves within – a last line of defense against the inevitable.

"But the strength of the Hylians was not sufficient. The temple was overrun, and the halls ran with blood until finally my sisters and I emerged to deal with the intruders."

The flower had withered in her hand. It was but a stem, covered in thick frost. There was nothing but death in the small circle about Meg.

"They gave their lives for a lie," Meg spat, snapping the stem between her fingers. "There is power here, and though it be not golden I guard it with my life. Despite the lie, they fought on, loyal to their captains and their country to the end.

"You asked of worship, princess. You are not fit to worship here." Zelda heard no malice in her words, nor anger, nor spite. There was only a dry matter-of-factness about them, as if she were telling Zelda she were not old enough to meet a visiting king.

Her message delivered, Meg slowly rose to her feet, shaking small ice shards from her robes.

"Good night, princess." she said with her eternally empty voice.

"Good night," Zelda replied, but as Meg flowed from the courtyard, Zelda was not sure whether the woman had heard her.


	4. No Matter the Cost

_I do something weird here. Does it work? _

_I stole a phrase from Friedrich Schiller. Cookies if you have any idea what I'm talking about._

* * *

**Chapter IV: No Matter the Cost**

Her dreams were troubled that night. Armored skeletons, animated by vengeful spirits of the newly dead, circled around her. _You are unworthy. You are unworthy_.

"I tried!" she screamed at them, but the ring of undeath tightened. _You are unworthy. You are unworthy_.

"I'm only ten!"

Steel pierced her side, but there was no blood. She opened her mouth, but there was no scream. The ghastly face of the skeleton hovered before her, the dark maws of its eye-sockets a window into the void which all must one day enter enter.

Inch by agonizing inch, he withdrew the sword from her. It came out coated in red.

She was not too young to bleed.

The worst pain did not come until she recognized his armor. The large metal plate had the image of a horse emblazoned by his shoulder. It was barely large enough to be visible, but to Zelda it was as clear as the three golden triangles that shone cruelly above her. Only the captain of her guard had had the nerve to decorate his armor so.

"What else was I supposed to do? I can't fight."

Face to face with the one who had died for her—no, one of many—her words rang hollow. However true they were, no matter how little sense it had made to do anything but run, she had failed the man who stood before her. It was right that she pay.

Not like this though. Not while the Gerudo and their king roamed free across her land.

"Not yet," she pleaded, but the dead were beyond her cries.

As the other skeletons closed in, and their swords penetrated her body, all she could feel was the relentless hand of Guilt.

It was still night when she awoke. Zelda stood and let the cool air caress her naked body. She shivered as the sweat she found drenching her body evaporated, but she made no move for the tattered pink dress, nor the comforting blanket that lay beside it. They felt spoiled somehow. Impure.

She wandered idly through the courtyard, her head mostly empty. The feeling of the tall damp grass that curled up about her feet and ankles, the shimmer of the crescent moon in the near-still river, these were the most substantial thoughts she could handle. To go further was to invite in fear, anger, and a host of other negative emotions that would leave her crippled.

The world had never been so peaceful. Even when the sun had set, and she was alone in her room, the castle radiated its own energy. Servants scurried about, fires crackled as her father's meetings dragged ever later. There was always someone awake.

The temple, on the other hand, was so still. She heard only the hum of the crickets and the gentle lapping of the water. It was like a scene removed from the flow of Time, eternally constant as the world surged about it. She could almost believe that nothing would reach her here.

The impossible stillness only agitated her further. There was no threat of ambush or heavy load to distract her from her new reality. Her emotions, now freed to fully assault her battered mind, burst forth with all the fury of a cavalry charge.

The nails on her fingers dug into her hands until they cut through the skin. She had cried as Impa carried her from her burning home. She had cried as the Goddess of Wisdom had blessed her with her most valuable gift. She would cry no more. Impa needed her to be strong. Hyrule needed her to be strong.

There was no name for what she felt. Horror, anger, disgust, fear, and every other shade of negative emotion all cycled through her so fast they were as one. They spun together in a wash of raw emotion that left her face burning and sent a fountain of light from her hand. Her shoulders heaved and her body trembled. She tainted the ground with blood and vomit.

It was as if all of Hyrule was pressing down upon her. She screamed at her helplessness, and for the injustice of Ganondorf's coup. Every scream that she had kept locked inside out of necessity—for her father, for the breaching of the Door of Time, for Link—released itself in a massive outcry that left her throat raw.

She let the emotion run its course, buffeting her with fierce convulsion, until it finally left her hunkered on the ground, leaning over a mess of her fluids and trembling from the cold. She only barely retained the presence of mind to fall onto a patch of clean grass as she collapsed.

Despair lingered. Grief too. They were as much a part of her now as her piece of the Triforce. but there was something more. Hope she might have called it, had she been naïve, but hope was denied her. The hope of Hyrule had died with its hero. This was determination. She had failed her people once. She would not do it again. She had to fight Ganondorf, no matter the cost.

It was not a comforting thought. Even with Wisdom, she had little chance against the hardened warlord. She would become merely another casualty, but if she died hidden in a temple, she was certain her soul would know no rest.

Still weak from her panic she climbed to her feet and made her way back to what acted as her bed. She did not know how well she could sleep, or even what she would do in the morning, but she needed rest. Zelda wrapped the blanket around her and soon found herself emerged once more in troubled dreams.

* * *

Zelda rose with the sun and pulled her dress on. The accumulated grime no longer bothered her as it had the previous day. It was merely another layer of discomfort. Impa emerged into the bright sunlight shortly afterward, as if they were back at the castle. As if nothing had happened.

"I want to fight," Zelda blurted out before Impa had a chance to open her mouth. She watched closely for Impa's reaction, but her face remained the cold mask she always wore when she was serious.

"A girl like you would be slaughtered," she stated. "You have no business fighting a war." She crossed the distance to the princess and took her gently by the shoulder. "You are brave for wanting to fight, but this is not your battle."

"Then whose is it?" Zelda shot back, shaking off Impa's hands. "I have the Triforce of Wisdom-"

"And he will take it if you try to confront him," Impa interrupted, "plunging us into a darkness never before seen in Hyrule."

"It's our only chance. With Wisdom, I can find his weaknesses. I can see where to strike. I could overcome even Courage and Power together."

"If you use that power any more, he will surely notice and bear down upon this temple with all his might. There will be no use for wisdom while a sword seeks for your neck, princess."

"Then why? You made me kill the horse, you made me climb the tree-"

Impa interrupted her with a snort.

"So you might survive this long night. Did you think those were the trials of a warrior? Any child of the Gerudo could have done the same."

"Then teach me," Zelda insisted, growing ever more impatient with her. Was she really just going to hide until the bad man went away? "Teach me to be a fighter like you. Then maybe I can oppose Ganondorf, if you're too scared to."

Impa grabbed onto her arm with a grip that tightened so hard around the bone it ached. Before she could say anything, the door to the courtyard opened again, and Amy emerged. She hesitated in the doorway.

"Oh, did I come at a bad time?" she asked.

"We will speak more of this later," Impa told Zelda before turning to her host.

"Not at all," she assured her, her voice suddenly high and cheerful. "The princess and I were merely admiring your accommodations."

"We have breakfast ready if you'd like to join us," Amy said with a smile. At least, Zelda assumed it was Amy. They were too similar to easily tell apart, but she was wearing the same green robes that Amy had worn the previous evening. They were cleaner than they ought to be, so far away from civilization. Perhaps they might have some other clothes she might borrow. It would be difficult to fight in a dress.

Amy, or whoever it was, led them inside to the main chamber, where they found the meal and the others waiting for them. The small collection of fruits and nuts before her was a lavish feast compared to the disgusting weeds that Impa had found for her to eat during the final leg of their journey.

The meal was, though delicious, rather awkward. Before any conversation had a chance to break out, they had already finished eating. They all sat in an uncomfortable silence until the woman in purple spoke.

"You used it." It was probably Meg. Her voice had the same distant tone that she had used the previous night in the garden. It was as if the woman was exhaling a wall of ice with every word.

"What?" Impa exclaimed as she whipped her head around toward Zelda. The others also began to break out in babble, but Meg cut everyone off with a wave of her hand.

Zelda could feel everyone staring at her. She took a deep breath and tried to slow down her fluttering heart.

"I didn't use it," she said. Her voice echoed in the wide chamber. It sounded much stronger than she felt. "It started glowing all on its own."

"Sisters, please, we can't expect the girl to be in complete control of her gift," Beth said.

"I will not have this beacon for _him_ endanger this temple."

"We don't know he felt it," Impa protested, but even as the four sisters turned as one to gaze sternly at the Sheikah, Zelda knew she would not win. The days of knowing things had passed. They had to rely on their best guesses. If whatever had happened last night was so strong that Meg took notice, it was inconceivable that Ganondorf would not. Impa was left with a desperate defense.

"There is another option," Joelle said. It was the first Zelda had heard her speak all morning. "It is merely the Triforce-bearer whom Ganondorf seeks."

A tense silence hung in the air. Zelda glanced between the five woman, trying to guess what they might be thinking. Impa and Meg had their eyes shut tight, as if the outside world was too distracting for their thoughts. Amy had her head tilted slightly to the side, a distant smile on her face. Joelle alone appeared completely unperturbed. She sat with her hands folded on the table, gazing at nothing.

"It's dangerous," Impa said at length.

"Everything is dangerous now," Beth replied.

"Excuse me," Zelda called. She pushed back her chair and stood up, scanning the room until she was sure she had everyone's attention. "Ganondorf is looking for me, no one else. Whether you decide to keep me or not, I'll still be the one in danger. As it is my fate we are discussing, I think I deserve to know what in Hyrule everyone is talking about right now."

"Ganondorf is looking for Wisdom. You by yourself are relatively unimportant," Impa explained. "Joelle is suggesting a ritual to separate you."

"You can remove my part of the Triforce?" Zelda asked.

"Such power is beyond any of us," Joelle said. "The goddesses have decreed it, and we dare not defy them. This magic is subtler. The bearer of Wisdom would be removed from this world and replaced by an alternate soul."

"It is untested and based off vague guesswork," Impa said.

"If you wanted certainty you should never have pursued the Eye of Truth," Joelle shot back.

"That is an entirely different matter, and you know it." Impa slammed her fist on the table and rose to her feet.

"Stop!" Zelda screamed before it could escalate further. She placed a hand on Impa's shoulder and gently pressed her back into her seat.

"I appreciate you trying to protect me, but this is a decision I ought to make."

"And what decision are you making?" Impa asked in that condescending tone that always made Zelda feel like screaming. Instead, she smiled. Now, more than ever, was the time to show her maturity.

"I am going for a walk. Would one of you," Zelda said with a look at Amy, "please come with me and explain just exactly what it means to replace me with an alternate soul?"

* * *

"So you see," the green-robed maiden was explaining, "it is specifically the Zelda-soul to which Wisdom is bound. If we hide that from this world, we hide the Triforce." Zelda was relieved she had been the one to accompanying her. Of everyone in the old temple, she seemed to be the most sane. Or at least the nicest.

"But then where would I—the Zelda-soul—be?" A dull pain had worked its way through her forehead as she tried to understand all that Amy was telling her.

"The same place she goes when you're asleep," Amy said. It had taken a long time to convince Zelda of the distinction between her and her manifest soul. She still didn't understand it, not really, but she had nodded and let Amy continue on with the details of the ritual.

"But what would _I_ be?" Zelda asked.

Amy laughed at the question and guided her into a side room. She sat Zelda down on the limestone floor where the sun came through the glass window. Amy sat down across from her and took her hands. Her touch was warm and far softer than Zelda had expected from one who lived in the forest.

"Relax," Amy whispered. As she said this, Zelda felt a pulse of peace flow through her hands, her arms, and then throughout her entire body. For the first time, she understood what it was to be quiet.

* * *

"This is you, the beautiful spark of the Goddess. Whether a princess today or a thousand years hence, this will always remain. There is no power in this world that can take it from you."

* * *

Zelda opened her eyes, taking in everything that was before her. What had happened? The birds had still chirped, and she heard the breathing of Amy in front of her, yet everything was still. All the thoughts running about her head that she hadn't even noticed until then had been completely absent. She did not worry about her identity, or even her survival. She just was. She had been stripped down to her very core.

"You see, there is nothing to fear."

"Impa said it's dangerous."

"There is much unknown," Amy admitted with a frown. She still had Zelda's hands in hers, and it was getting uncomfortable. Zelda wished that she would let go, but she was not about to interrupt. "There is a reason little is known of soul magic. All we can do is guess at what will happen."

"Are you often wrong?"

"Occasionally."

Zelda frowned as she thought it over. The theory made sense to her. The Zelda-soul would be replaced by a new one not bound to Wisdom, and she would still exist through it all.

She shook the thought from her head. Her family had abandoned the study of magic long ago, when the Hylians and the Minish still mingled. What she knew was but a sliver in a mysterious forest. She was in no place to judge the merits of a complicated ritual. Not even the sisters of the temple seemed to fully understand what would happen.

_Fine then, what's the worst that could happen?_ she asked herself.

If the theory is correct, I end up stuck in the new soul forever.

_Are you so hopeful?_

Fine then. The ritual fails, and I am stuck without a soul, leaving Hyrule with no one to defend her. But I also leave Ganondorf with only two-thirds of the Triforce.

_But with none to oppose him, surely he could do without the remaining piece._

We are getting nowhere. Is the risk worth it?

"Are you well?" Amy's wispy voice broke into her dialogue.

"I just need to think," Zelda replied with a weak attempt at a smile.

"Then I shall leave you to it."

* * *

Daylight had faded when the door opened again, and Zelda was no closer to an answer. How could she possibly make a decision when she didn't actually know anything?

"You cannot think forever, princess," came Impa's dry voice.

Zelda let her shoulders slump and collapsed against the cold wall. Who knew that just thinking could be so exhausting?

"I don't know," she said. "I just don't know."

"If you had to choose right now, what would you say?"

"Please," Zelda said, holding up her hand. "I need to think this through for myself, no matter how long it takes."

"Hyrule cannot afford to you to choose wrongly," Impa scolded. "You need help thinking it through."

Zelda shut her eyes again. She knew how Impa would help her think. She would have her keep running. In the end that was the only thing that mattered. If she left, she would keep running and running as Hyrule fell apart around her until its conqueror inevitably caught up.

From that perspective, the solution was obvious. She laughed at herself for not having thought of it earlier.

"Are you well?"

Zelda smiled.

"I will be after the ritual." If Zelda was too weak to fight, her new soul would not be.

* * *

_A/N: I expect many of you to be unhappy with how I'm handling Zelda/Sheik. After all, there is a part of me who is almost constantly screaming at me for doing it this way. I will explain why I felt this choice necessary when I am certain I won't be giving anything away by doing so. Basically though, I'm doing it this way because I want to. Make of it what you will._


End file.
